Microsoft's IE7 Search Box Bugs Google

tessaiga writes "The New York Times reports that Google is crying foul over a new IE7 search box feature that defaults to MSN Search. Although the feature can be modified to use Google or other search engines, Google asserts that "The best way to handle the search box [...] would be to give users a choice when they first start up Internet Explorer 7." Google goes on to assert that the move "limits consumer choice and is reminiscent of the tactics that got Microsoft into antitrust trouble in the late 1990s". I notice that in my version of Firefox the search box defaults to Google, and that the pulldown menu of pre-entered options doesn't even include MSN Search, but Google seems to have been oddly quiet on that front for the many years prior to IE7 that Firefox has made this feature available."

Comments

One other detail

[Vengeance]

Firefox isn't a Google product, and isn't subject to the same sorts of antitrust restrictions that IE is. Various combinations that rhyme with 'Clucking Nidiot' were going through my head when I read the blurb.

It's not Googles job to cry foul

[3770]

It's not Googles job to cry foul over things that benefit them. Especially, when it is a third party software.

Complaining about Google being default in Firefox is Microsofts job (or Yahoo or someone else). However, if Microsoft had complained about that they would have _had_ to make it optional in IE7 as well. So, Microsoft kept quiet about that.

If Google had complained about them being the default in FireFox then they would have been on the moral high ground when complaining about IE7. But they wouldn't be in a much better position to convince Microsoft though.

Re:Care to support that accusation?

[Kelson]

Search engines pay money to the browser makers to get their search engines in there anyway.

Um, care to back that up?

Funny, I thought that "accusation" was common knowledge. Opera, for instance, hasn't exactly been hiding the fact. Back in September, Jon von Tetzchner said:

What finally made [going free] possible is the increase in revenues from search and service partners. We can now go free and still increase our revenues.

And later in the same interview:

We have been working with Google for a long time. Our new search deal increases our search based revenue, which is an important factor in our decision to go free. We are also working with Google to make sure their services work well with Opera.

Re:Defaults vs. Presets

[NutscrapeSucks]

Yeah, Google employs Firefox developers directly and indirectly pays Mozilla salaries. I suppose technically they're independant, but realistically Mozilla.org is a division of Google, Inc.